It started like a normal Sunday.
The city was calm, sunlight poured lazily over the rooftops, and Aria Bloom was humming a soft tune while watering the violets near the front window. Her playlist was on low volume, birds were chirping outside, and the whole shop smelled like peonies and lemon tea.
Normal. Calm. Predictable.
Then the bell above the door jingled.
And Kaelira—wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a hoodie two sizes too big—bolted inside like she was escaping from the FBI.
Aria almost dropped the watering can.
"Hide me," Kaelira whispered urgently, crouching behind the rose shelf like a gremlin.
Aria blinked. "…Good morning to you too?"
"Fan. Paparazzi. Possibly both," Kaelira hissed. "They were near the bus stop and someone said my name and I panicked—"
The bell jingled again.
Aria's eyes widened.
A girl in a school uniform stepped inside, blinking as she looked around. She was holding a phone and trying very hard to look casual.
Aria walked to the counter, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Hi there!" she said brightly. "Looking for something in particular?"
The girl glanced around. "Uh, just browsing. My friend said the flowers here are really pretty."
Kaelira shifted slightly, accidentally knocking over a tiny pot of succulents with a soft thunk.
Aria's soul left her body for 0.5 seconds.
The girl frowned. "Is someone else here?"
Aria fake-laughed so hard she nearly choked. "Oh! Just me. And my, uh, cat. Yeah. My cat. She's a menace. Don't worry."
Kaelira, from behind the roses, muttered, "I swear if you call me a cat one more time—"
"Shhh!"
"...Did you just shush your cat?"
Aria cleared her throat. "She's, um, vocal."
The girl tilted her head. "She sounds like she's threatening to sue you."
⤹ ❀
Eventually, the girl left—after buying a single white daisy and taking a suspiciously long time to stare at the back corner of the shop.
Aria locked the door behind her.
Kaelira emerged from behind the shelf with leaves in her hair and the most dramatic pout Aria had ever seen.
"I'm going to jail."
Aria snorted. "For hiding in a flower shop?"
"No, for ruining your reputation. That girl knew. I bet there's already a group chat forming— Idol-Sighting-Hunters 101."
Aria gently picked a leaf out of Karina's bangs. "Honestly, I've survived weirder. One time a guy came in and tried to propose to a cactus."
Kaelira blinked. "Did the cactus say yes?"
"It's still under consideration."
They both laughed—too loud, too real. The kind of laughter that makes your shoulders relax and your chest feel lighter.
Then Kaelira leaned her head on Aria's shoulder.
And just like that, all the anxiety in her body seemed to melt.
⤹ ❀
"I brought snacks," Kaelira said, after flopping dramatically onto the tiny couch behind the shop counter.
She pulled out two triangle kimbaps, a can of peach soda, and a tiny wrapped bundle from her hoodie pocket.
"What's that?" Aria asked, pointing.
Kaelira grinned. "Open it."
Inside was a small charm bracelet with tiny flowers. One charm was a white daisy, just like the one the girl bought earlier. Another was a little sprout.
"I saw it at a random shop and thought of you," Kaelira mumbled, eyes suddenly shy. "It's small. But like… cute-small."
Aria stared at her.
"You like it?" Kaelira asked nervously.
Instead of answering, Aria leaned in and kissed her cheek.
Kaelira went full tomato.
⤹ ❀
It wasn't until later that the real chaos hit.
The doorbell rang again.
Aria and Kaelira both froze.
Standing outside the locked door was the same girl from earlier. But now—she had her phone held up to the glass. The screen showed a message in all caps:
"YOU DROPPED THIS, UNNIE."
Aria opened the door an inch.
The girl held out Kaelira's phone.
Kaelira squeaked. "I thought I lost that on the bus—"
The girl, still wide-eyed but smiling now, leaned in a little.
"I won't tell anyone," she whispered, like it was a sacred secret. "You looked really happy in there."
Aria opened her mouth to say something—but nothing came out.
Then the girl just bowed, turned, and walked off.
Kaelira stared after her.
Aria shut the door again slowly. "So... you have fan-ninjas now."
Kaelira laughed, genuinely relieved. "That was terrifying. And kind of sweet."
Aria leaned against her. "She's not wrong, though."
"Hm?"
"You did look really happy in here."
Kaelira smiled, the kind that made her eyes crinkle.
"I am."
⤹ ❀
The rest of the day passed in soft moments.
Kaelira repotted a plant for the first time (badly).
Aria taught her how to tie a ribbon bouquet (they ended up making a mess and laughing about it).
They slow-danced to a jazzy ballad playing from Aria's phone speaker while the sun dipped behind the skyline, casting golden light across petals and walls.
For a brief, quiet hour, it didn't matter who they were outside.
It was just Aria and Kaelira.
Two girls in a flower shop, holding onto something bright and real in a world that often moved too fast.